Week 11. Swimming lessons?
Giorgi wants to take me swimming in the Tbilisi Sea, the big lake above the city. Problem: I swim like a stone. And on Sunday I can't come anyway, I have a test.
Today: "can", "can't", and "not any more".
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Giorgi
ცურვა შეგიძლია?tsurva shegidzlia?Can you swim?
Sam
ცოტა შემიძლია. კარგად ვერ ვცურავ.tsot'a shemidzlia. k'argad ver vtsurav.I can a little. I can't swim well.
Giorgi
არა უშავს! კვირას თბილისის ზღვაზე წავალთ?ara ushavs! k'viras tbilisis zghvaze ts'avalt?No problem! Shall we go to the Tbilisi Sea on Sunday?
Sam
კვირას ვერ წავალ, ტესტი მაქვს.k'viras ver ts'aval, t'est'i makvs.I can't go on Sunday, I have a test.
Giorgi
შაბათს?shabats?Saturday?
Sam
შაბათს შემიძლია! მაგრამ ყინულივით ცივი წყალი აღარ მინდა!shabats shemidzlia! magram q'inulivit tsivi ts'q'ali aghar minda!On Saturday I can! But I don't want ice-cold water any more!
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| შემიძლია | shemidzlia | I can, I am able |
| შეგიძლია | shegidzlia | you can |
| შეუძლია | sheudzlia | he, she can |
| ვერ | ver | cannot (before a verb) |
| ვეღარ | veghar | cannot any more |
| აღარ | aghar | no longer, not any more |
| ცურვა | tsurva | swimming |
| ვცურავ | vtsurav | I swim |
| მანქანის ტარება | mankanis t'areba | driving (a car) |
| ტესტი | t'est'i | test |
| ყინული | q'inuli | ice |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
I can: შემიძლიაshemidzlia
შემიძლიაshemidzlia works like მინდაminda: the person is shown at the start ("to me it is possible").
| person | can |
|---|---|
| I | შემიძლიაshemidzlia |
| you (friend) | შეგიძლიაshegidzlia |
| he, she | შეუძლიაsheudzlia |
| we | შეგვიძლიაshegvidzlia |
| you (polite, plural) | შეგიძლიათshegidzliat |
| they | შეუძლიათsheudzliat |
The thing you can do is a verbal noun, in its basic form:
ცურვა შემიძლია.tsurva shemidzlia.swimming I-canI can swim.
ქართულად ლაპარაკი შეუძლია.kartulad lap'arak'i sheudzlia.in-Georgian speaking he-canHe can speak Georgian.
მანქანის ტარება შეგიძლია?mankanis t'areba shegidzlia?car's driving you-canCan you drive?
Cannot: ვერver
Where არar means "not", ვერver means "cannot": it goes before the verb, in any tense.
| არar (not) | ვერver (cannot) |
|---|---|
| არ წავალar ts'aval I won't go | ვერ წავალver ts'aval I can't go |
| არ ვცურავar vtsurav I don't swim | ვერ ვცურავver vtsurav I can't swim |
| არ მესმისar mesmis I don't understand | ვერ ვხედავver vkhedav I can't see |
Not any more: აღარaghar, ვეღარveghar
აღარaghar is "no longer, not any more"; ვეღარveghar is "can no longer":
აღარ ვეწევი.aghar vets'evi.no-longer I-smokeI don't smoke any more.
ვეღარ ვიმუშავებ.veghar vimushaveb.can-no-longer I-will-workI won't be able to work any more.
5Good to know
The "Tbilisi Sea", თბილისის ზღვაtbilisis zghva, is not a sea at all but a large reservoir on the north-eastern edge of the city, popular for swimming in summer.
ყინულივით ცივიq'inulivit tsivi means "ice-cold", literally "cold like ice". The ending -ივითivit means "like"; you will meet it again at level B1, but you can already use it in fixed phrases like this one.
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- "I can swim" is…
- How do you ask a friend "Can you drive?"
- "She can speak Georgian" is…
- "I can't go" is…
- "I don't want it any more" is…
- "We can" is…
- What is the difference between არar and ვერver?
- "I can't see" is…
- What is the თბილისის ზღვაtbilisis zghva?
- "They can" is…
Well done! Lesson 67 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask a friend "Can you swim?"
Show the answer
ცურვა შეგიძლია?tsurva shegidzlia? - Say "I can speak Georgian a little."
Show the answer
ქართულად ცოტა ლაპარაკი შემიძლია.kartulad tsot'a lap'arak'i shemidzlia. - Say "I can't come tomorrow."
Show the answer
ხვალ ვერ მოვალ.khval ver moval. - Say "I don't live in Montreal any more."
Show the answer
მონრეალში აღარ ვცხოვრობ.monrealshi aghar vtskhovrob. - Ask politely "Can you help?" (help = დახმარებაdakhmareba)
Show the answer
დახმარება შეგიძლიათ?dakhmareba shegidzliat?
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
Unit 7: The future A2
- 61Tomorrow I'll work: the future of -ობob verbs
- 62Preverbs make the future: დავწერdavts'er, გავაკეთებgavak'eteb
- 63Futures that change: ვიტყვიvit'q'vi, დავლევdavlev, ვნახავvnakhav
- 64I'll go, I'll come: წავალts'aval, მოვალmoval
- 65Up, down, in, out: preverbs of direction
- 66Come in! Come here!
- 67Can and can't: შემიძლიაshemidzlia, ვერver
- 68Plans and invitations: წამოხვალts'amokhval?
- 69I'll have, I'll be: მექნებაmekneba, ვიქნებიviknebi
- 70Review: planning a trip to Mtskheta